Business
business
Rani Molla
4/29/24

After being discounted in the US, Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” goes to China

Tesla just got the tentative go-ahead to bring its “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) feature to China, the Wall Street Journal reports. That’s a big deal because China is Tesla’s second biggest market and because the company’s driver assist features haven’t been having a good run in the US.

Two weeks ago the company cut the subscription price for FSD in half, to $99, to get more people to use it.

Last week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed a probe that tied the company’s driver assist feature to hundreds of crashes and dozens of injuries and opened a new probe into whether its fix for the December recall of the software did enough. The company also posted terrible earnings last week (thought that didn’t seem to bother anyone in the market).

The stock was up more than 14% Monday.

Two weeks ago the company cut the subscription price for FSD in half, to $99, to get more people to use it.

Last week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed a probe that tied the company’s driver assist feature to hundreds of crashes and dozens of injuries and opened a new probe into whether its fix for the December recall of the software did enough. The company also posted terrible earnings last week (thought that didn’t seem to bother anyone in the market).

The stock was up more than 14% Monday.

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Reddit bounces on report that it’s in talks with Google, OpenAI on fresh data-sharing deal

Reddit shares were down 5% in Wednesday trading before news that the company is in early talks to make its next AI content-sharing deals with Google and OpenAI sent them back up to roughly flat.

According to reporting by Bloomberg, Reddit is seeking a new data deal structure that includes dynamic pricing and would encourage the companies’ AI users to contribute to Reddit.

Reddit reportedly struck deals of $60 million per year with Google and OpenAI last year. The company scored $35 million in “other” revenue — which includes content licensing agreements — in its most recent quarter. That accounted for about 7% of the company’s overall revenue in the period.

“One of the things that we’ve learned, particularly through the data licensing deals is... how essential Reddit is to AI or LLMs as we know them and the next generation of search,” Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said on the company’s July earnings call. “And so I think a lot has changed over the last couple of years. Every variable has changed since we signed those first deals.”

Reddit reportedly struck deals of $60 million per year with Google and OpenAI last year. The company scored $35 million in “other” revenue — which includes content licensing agreements — in its most recent quarter. That accounted for about 7% of the company’s overall revenue in the period.

“One of the things that we’ve learned, particularly through the data licensing deals is... how essential Reddit is to AI or LLMs as we know them and the next generation of search,” Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said on the company’s July earnings call. “And so I think a lot has changed over the last couple of years. Every variable has changed since we signed those first deals.”

$100B

Alphabet’s YouTube said it’s paid out over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over the past four years — cementing its place as one of the internet’s biggest talent magnets. The Google-owned platform, which turned 20 this year, credited connected TVs as a major driver of growth.

YouTube said the number of channels earning over $100,000 from TV screens has surged over 45% in the past year alone. Meanwhile, ad revenue for YouTube grew double digits in Q2 to $9.8 billion, topping the Street’s estimates.

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Webtoon surges after Disney plans to invest and partner in digital push for brands like Marvel and “Star Wars”

Webtoon Entertainment shares jumped 36% in premarket trading Tuesday after Disney said it’s buying a 2% stake in the digital comics platform. The investment is part of a deal to bring Marvel, “Star Wars,” Pixar, and 20th Century Studios titles into a new streaming-style app run by Webtoon. The offering will launch in Q4 across the US and nine other countries.

“With a new platform that will combine our product and technical expertise with Disney’s full comic catalog, we’re giving new and longtime fans all over the world a new way to discover these legendary characters and stories,” said Junkoo Kim, founder and CEO of Webtoon Entertainment.

The platform is expected to host more than 35,000 titles, mixing archived comics with Webtoon originals. Disney+ perks could also be on the table, giving the service a natural tie-in to Disney’s broader streaming play.

The arrangement isn’t final yet: Disney’s stake and the platform details are still under negotiation. But with Webtoon’s ~155 million monthly active users, the partnership gives Disney a mobile-friendly channel for its comics while Webtoon gains the ultimate IP access.

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